Sometimes, I just stare at the screen, wanting to write but having no idea what to say. Has that ever happen to you? Today, I want to share a creative writing exercise that will get you writing every time.
Photo by Patrick
What Do You Do When You Want to Write But Can't
To me, one of the worst feelings in the world is the desire to write. Seriously.
There are few things as painful as wanting to put words on the page, words that connect, words that change, words full of meaning and beauty. The desire continues to build but for some reason your hands refuse to write anything. Your mind can't form sentences. Everything just gets stuck.
The desire is there, but you can't write.
What do you do when you want to write but can't?
Use This Writing Exercise When You're Stuck
What if you stopped trying to write perfect sentences? What if you stopped trying to write sentences that made sense at all?
What if you wrote in gibberish?
Here's what I mean by gibberish:
I'm stronger than the problem that ails the recent growth spurt converse boys green shirts. I'm stronger than the lucky llama brewing goat shearers who drink flag milks on parent's arms as they carry bowls fill with agave acai ladies. I'm stronger than hipster beards.
Complete gibberish. However, even though it makes absolutely no sense, somehow it still feels personal to me, meaningful, as if something in my subconscious was released in the nonsensical phrases that I strung together at random.
Why This Writing Exercise Works
You've probably heard the advice, “Just write.” The reason why this exercise works is because it gets you writing, and the fact that you're writing nonsense actually makes it easier to keep writing because it sets the bar so low. After writing gibberish, you can only get better from then on.
It works. Before I started writing today, I was stuck. I knew I had to write a blog post. I even wanted to write a blog post. But I couldn't get myself to write.
So I wrote gibberish. Afterward, writing was simple. It was even fun!
Ready to give this writing exercise a try?
Have you ever tried writing gibberish? How did it feel?
PRACTICE
First, set your timer for ten minutes. Then, start writing gibberish. Write whatever comes to your mind, especially if it makes no sense.
When your timer goes off, post your gibberish in the comments section. After you finish, I bet you won't have any problem keeping writing!
Have fun!
Joe Bunting is an author and the leader of The Write Practice community. He is also the author of the new book Crowdsourcing Paris, a real life adventure story set in France. It was a #1 New Release on Amazon. Follow him on Instagram (@jhbunting).
Want best-seller coaching? Book Joe here.
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Joe Buntinghttps://thewritepractice.com/author/joe-bunting/
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Joe Buntinghttps://thewritepractice.com/author/joe-bunting/
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Joe Buntinghttps://thewritepractice.com/author/joe-bunting/
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Joe Buntinghttps://thewritepractice.com/author/joe-bunting/
